culina practica // vanilla & giveaway!

22 January 2018

Next up in the basic ingredients category: vanilla.

One of my top five favorite things in the kitchen and I rarely, if ever (probably never but I’m leaving myself an out), make something without it. I’m an equal opportunity vanilla user and have almost as many varieties and styles of this glorious flavor as I do of olive oil and salt. (Husband says I’m a hoarder; I say I have broad horizons.)

I seriously really love vanilla so usually either double the amount of extract called for in recipes or use a 1-for-1 swap with something stronger like double-strength extract or paste.

You can also toss vanilla beans in pretty-much-anything to make vanilla pretty-much-anything: vanilla milk, vanilla sea salt (the perfect topping to chocolate chip cookies), vanilla sugar…..

I get my vanilla (and related products) from anywhere I can find it – grocery stores, specialty markets, the “ordernet” (as Saurus calls it). At the bottom of this post are some amazon affiliate links to get you started but I also LOVE Beanilla and Rodelle.

Quick botany lesson:

Vanilla comes from orchids of the genus Vanilla. (finally! science is logical!) Vanilla is a Spanish word roughly translating to “little pod” (in case you need to win trivia night – you’re welcome) and although vanilla is grown world-wide, the majority of species originated in Mexico and the majority of production is in Madagascar and Indonesia, according to Wikipedia.

Vanilla is very expensive (second only to Saffron, I think) because it is very labor-intensive to produce: vanilla blossoms for one day only so must be hand-pollinated at exactly the right time and then at just the right time in the ripening process, the beans are thrown into excessively hot water to stop the ripening. Sounds like a lot of “wait for it, wait for it, wait for it……NOW PHIL! DO IT NOW! PHIL! NOW! PHIL – WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU TOOK A COFFEE BREAK AND WE’VE MISSED THE WHOLE VANILLA SEASON! Way to go, Phil” So thanks to Phil and his coffee breaks, prices go up. Thanks, Phil. (I don’t think that’s actually how agricultural economics works but it’s more fun this way. Also sorry if your name is actually Phil and you’re a vanilla farmer-any relation to you and vanilla prices is purely coincidental.)

Common types of vanilla beans:

This is not an exhaustive list, but hits most of the high points of what you might see in stores.

Mexican Vanilla: The original. Apparently there are a lot of fakes out there that are no bueno (like veneno, no bueno), so be sure you’re getting authentic stuff, not just something marketed in a tourist shop called “vanilla” // Very rich and smooth flavorBourbon Vanilla (Madagascar Vanilla): Turns out, Bourbon Vanilla isn’t actually vanilla infused with bourbon. Huh. Once upon a time, Réunion island was called Île Bourbon so the Vanilla grown in that region from Vanilla planifolia is called Bourbon Vanilla or Madagascar Vanilla // most plentiful type and the typically thought-of vanilla flavorIndian Vanilla: from India and has a bold, almost smoky or woodsy flavor // large pods so each bean goes furtherTahitian Vanilla: made from Vanilla tahitiensis and grown in French Polynesia // has less of a “vanilla” flavor and more flowery and chocolate flavorTongan Vanilla: comes from the island nation of Tonga and is highly sought-after for its more pronounced flavor with fig and raisin notes (those are fancy words that I read in a book but I’m pretty sure they mean that if you eat it, you’re sort of reminded of the same flavors you’d find in a fig)West Indian Vanilla: made from Vanilla pompona and grown in the Caribbean and Central/South America.Ugandan Vanilla: made from Vanilla planifolia and my personal favorite // has an extra bold, very rich flavorFrench Vanilla: not a thing. Or at least, not a biological (zoological? botanilogical?) type of vanilla. The name comes from the French method of making a vanilla custard base (usually for ice cream).

Common Vanilla Variations:

Vanilla Beans: Lots of varieties (as listed above) // store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place – you want them to be plump and oily // 1 vanilla bean is equivalent to 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract or 2-3 tsp vanilla bean pasteTo use: slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise (don’t go all the way through the bean) // pull the bean open and use the paring knife to scrape the caviar (yes, that’s what it’s called – so fancy!) out of the pod and into your recipe. // I toss the “used” pods into my sugar bin and shake it around every so often – voila! vanilla sugar! Vanilla Bean Paste: my personal favorite // a thick combination of vanilla extract and vanilla powder // best of both worlds: you get the strong flavor of beans and those pretty vanilla flecks but the ease of extract // 1 tsp of paste is roughly equivalent to 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract Vanilla Extract: a solution of vanilla beans and alcohol, water is usually added to fill the bottles you see in the stores // store in a dark bottle in a cool, dark place // higher concentration of vanilla = stronger extractTo make your own: Slit 5 vanilla beans lengthwise and submerge in 8oz of alcohol in a dark glass container (vodka is the usual but bourbon or rum work, too) // allow to sit in a cool, dark place for at least 2 months, shaking occasionally // I love this tutorial, if you need a visual Ground Vanilla: whole vanilla beans ground into a powder // made for high-heat recipes or to give extra visual vanilla flecks, like in ice cream // roughly twice as potent as vanilla extract so use half as much – 1 tsp is roughly equivalent to 3/4 Tbsp extractVanilla Powder: Vanilla beans that are finely ground into a powder // ensure you’re getting a product marked “pure” – some powders combine vanilla with powdered sugar and are meant to be used for toppings (still delicious!) // can be white in color which is great for adding vanilla flavors to things like frosting where you want the flavor but don’t want to add the brown tint from other sources of vanilla // 1 tsp powder is roughly 1/2 Tbsp extract Imitation Vanilla: pretty much what it sounds like – a liquid that has lots of vanillin flavor but isn’t made from strictly vanilla // I personally prefer the depth of flavor from pure vanilla but here’s an interesting article about the comparison.